PHOTO: Crewmembers from a sailing yacht stranded in Antarctica smile after boarding the Zaandam. (Courtesy of Holland America Line)
Two Holland America Line ships came to the rescue of sailors in frigid Antarctica and the warmer waters of the Caribbean in recent days.
At 2:10 a.m. Jan. 3, while en route to Oranjestad, Aruba, the Zuiderdam answered a distress call from the Bahamian inter-island vessel Excalibur, which was sinking with eight crewmembers onboard. Zuiderdam was the closest ship in the area, about 15 miles away, and altered course to successfully execute a nighttime rescue in less than an hour. The sailors boarded the ship, which fed and accommodated them until they disembarked in Aruba on Jan. 5.
"Congratulations to the officers and crew onboard Zuiderdam for their quick response that saved the lives of eight people," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "We are proud to be able to come to the rescue when called upon, and it's even more gratifying when everything goes as smoothly as this operation did."
Zuiderdam currently is in the middle of a 10-night Panama Canal cruise that departed Fort Lauderdale Jan. 2.
In addition, on Jan. 4, the Zaandam came to the aid of seven crewmembers from the sailing yacht Polonus who were staying at the Arctowski Polish research station at King George Island in Antarctica. The men, all Polish nationals, were stranded after their yacht went aground. They are being taken to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and will disembark Jan. 11.
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